1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to garments and more particularly to children garments or clothing that is expandable or adjustable to accommodate for various growth or development stages of children. This invention more specifically relates to children garments or clothing, such as, sleepers, one-piece outfits with or without footed portions, body suits or rompers that are commonly worn by infants and young children with an expandable or adjustable feature. Also, the present invention relates to an article of clothing that includes shirts, blouses, pants, vests, coats, jackets, vests or other garment types.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the art to provide an adjustment feature for an article of clothing or garments particularly for infants and young children of novel construction, whereby the article of clothing or garments may be selectively lengthened or shortened, or made larger or smaller, as desired, to accommodate for the growth of an infant or young child.
According to one shortcoming of the prior art, clothing for infants and young children will typically be worn for a short period of time due to their rapid development and growth. This is especially true for seasonal clothing that typically can not be used by the same child the following season. For the most part these clothing articles generally are passed down to some other child in the home, in the community or given to charitable organizations for further use. This is because the life expectancy of clothing or garments worn by infants and young children are normally predicated upon the length of time the clothing will comfortably fit the infants and young children rather than the durability, flexibility and expandability of the clothing or garments.
Another shortcoming of the prior art is that infants and young children clothing are typically designated by sizes corresponding to their ages. As you know infants and young children vary in heights and sizes, even among infants and children of the same age. Such shortcoming has generated a need to provide infants and young children clothing or garments with adjustment means to accommodate for their various sizes and heights due to their growth or development. Such adjustment means allow consumers to reduce the cost of purchasing new clothing for infants and young children because of the rapid growth and development of infants and young children.
In children garments with a foot or boot portion or bootie, one of the major drawbacks is that children feet increase in size and the boot portion or bootie of a pant section becomes too small for infants and young children. Many times the upper body portion and the pant leg portions of children garments still fit comfortably, but the boot portion or bootie is too small and the garments have to be given away, thrown away or the boot portion or bootie has to be cut off, so that infants and young children can still use the garments. At other times, the entire garments become too small and can never be used again for that child or user. In another instant, a child's or user's foot size is too large for the boot portion or bootie, even though the child or user can fit the upper body and pant leg section. This boot portion becomes uncomfortable or too long for the child or user as they walk, causing tripping or the over sized boot portion can be caught in strollers, toys, wheels of scooters, tricycles, bicycles or other types of riding devices. This can cause very serious injuries to children and amass costly and unnecessary medical bills.
As a result of the above shortcomings, various types of adjustment features for infants and children clothing or garments have been developed. Some of these adjustment features can be found in the following prior art patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,670,471 teaches an adjustable feature in which children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of tuck sections with respect to sleeves and stitched folds with respect to pant leg section for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths, sizes and sleeves.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,326 teaches an adjustable feature in which children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of fasteners and flaps on garment sleeves and foot portions for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths, sizes and sleeves.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,718 teaches an adjustable feature in which children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of buttons and button holes for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths, sizes and sleeves.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,505 teaches an adjustable feature in which children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of loop and hook fasteners panels buttons and button holes for adjusting various panels of the children clothing or garments. U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,709 teaches an adjustable feature in which one-piece children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a closed sleeves and drawstrings therein and positioned along the garments' side seams for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths and sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,977 teaches an adjustable feature in which one-piece children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of fasteners of various types for allowing an expansion unit to contract or expand as needed for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths and sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,508 teaches an adjustable feature in which children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of fasteners and zipper means for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths and sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,847 teaches an adjustable feature in which one-piece children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of boot portions of pant leg portions and elastic bands or draw strings to be tied about the wearer's ankle for adjusting the children clothing or garments lengths, sizes and preventing the wearer's foot from sliding in and out of the boot portion or bootie.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0266472 teaches an adjustable feature in which children clothing or garments may be selectively adjusted to accommodate the size or growth of children in their development years, through the use of a plurality of different types fasteners on upper body portions, leg portions and boot portions or booties for adjusting children clothing or garments lengths and sizes.
Although these prior art devices might be creative, and well-though-out inventions, that function well for their intended purpose at the time of their creation, but some, if not all, are cumbersome and timely to adjust, unpleasing appearance, unnecessary fabric or material gathering and limited flexibility as the children clothing or garments are adjusted either by contracting or expanded.
However, the present invention overcomes all of the above shortcomings and provides a unique adjustment feature which is versatile and easy to use, inexpensive to incorporate into any type of garment utilized for infants, children or adults, provides for comfort when in use and maintains an aesthetically pleasing appearance when the children clothing or garments are selectively adjusted, contracted or expanded.